In the second book in the series, A Three Dog Problem, 2016 is shaping up to be another annus horribilis for the Queen. That takes a generosity that I don't think I have, to let someone else take credit for your ideas and footwork. What I like best about this series is how it builds through the layering of characters, how it uses Buckingham Palace as another character, and how the Queen is so central to the story. Ultimately though, the Queen's men "solve" the case and proudly present Her Majesty with a report while the Queen and Rozie keep their secrets.

A Three Dog Problem: The Queen investigates a murder at A Three Dog Problem: The Queen investigates a murder at

It seems that there are those working in several departments of the Royal employment who are profiteers and not loyal employees.

Whilst I didn’t think the first book was hugely compelling I found it gently entertaining and felt Bennett did an excellent job with her characterisation of the Queen. Het mysterie zit sterk in elkaar en terwijl je gedurende het boek ook nog wat leert over het beheer van de koninklijke kunstcollectie en de verschillende afdelingen binnen het paleis, moet je goed blijven opletten om alle uitgezette lijntjes te kunnen volgen, totdat ze mooi bij elkaar komen.

A Three Dog Problem - S.J. Bennett | Readers First A Three Dog Problem - S.J. Bennett | Readers First

This time Rozie has been tasked with figuring out what happened to a painting that used to hang outside the Queen’s bedroom. The chapter where this walk occurs is one of my favorite in the book, with its description of the grounds, the dogs, her reminiscences of Philip, and her thought process about the problems at hand. I enjoyed the throwaway a lines about real people (Camilla’s charitable work with abused women and her being hysterical in a good way! Oh, there’s crime and murder and evil going on, but we know that the Queen, in her calm and methodical manner, will get to the bottom of it with her discreet, capable Assistant Private Secretary Rozie Oshodi.

After an auspicious beginning to a series, the fate of that series is in a precarious position with the publication of book two. And in a development that made for a very happy winter weekend curled under a blanket with a glass of Baileys, the sequel A Three Dog Problem has been released in time for Christmas - presumably because, having been sold to publishers in 14 countries and the subject of a seven-figure bidding war in the US, Zaffre Books know they're onto a very good thing. The Queen tasks her Assistant Private Secretary, Rozie Oshodi, with finding out how the painting made its way out of the royal collection and into the hands of the Admiralty, where it now hangs on display in a Royal Navy exhibition in Portsmouth. Prins Philip is altijd al haar klankbord geweest en nu heeft ze ook echt een bondgenoot en vertrouwenspersoon gevonden in Rozie, die een steeds grotere rol krijgt. With the death of the housekeeper, the issue escalates and the Queen once again sets out to find the murderer.

A Three Dog Problem : Sophia Bennett : 9781838774844 A Three Dog Problem : Sophia Bennett : 9781838774844

Except, of course, she's the Queen, so her solving crimes that have left the brightest and best of her police force and secret services baffled might leave them feeling somewhat undermined and incapable. Bennett does a great job bringing it all together, although it seems to meander a bit much at times.The clues to the contemporary outer crime rely on an editor’s finely tuned understanding of the writing of the inner one, in which Horowitz recreates a classic golden age mystery. External events such as the fallout from the Brexit referendum and the US Presidential election provide a subtle backdrop to the main storyline. Amateur detective Queen Elizabeth II is back in this hugely entertaining follow-up to the bestseller The Windsor Knot, in which Her Majesty must determine how a missing painting is connected to the shocking death of a staff member inside Buckingham Palace. The delightfully clever mystery in which Queen Elizabeth II secretly solves a murder at Buckingham Palace - perfect for fans of The Crown and The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. Of course, they’re fictitious representatives of the real office holders, but looking in on the inner workings of Buckingham Palace is fascinating.